Indon helper breaks HK’s week-long ‘zero local cases’ record

By The SUN 

The Indonesian DH's case is classified as local with unknown source

A 39-year-old Indonesian female domestic helper was confirmed today, May 23, as a coronavirus patient, bursting Hong Kong’s week-long “zero local cases” bubble.

The Indonesian woman, whose case has been classified as local with unknown source, was one of two infections reported today. The other is a 20-year-old male resident who arrived on May 18 from the United States.

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The Centre for Health Protection said the woman, who was asymptomatic, underwent mandatory testing on May 21 at a community testing centre in Sham Shui Po and was found preliminary positive the next day. She did not carry the N501Y variant.

The helper arrived in Hong Kong from Indonesia via Singapore on Feb 20 and spent the next 21 days in hotel quarantine.

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She then moved in with her new employer in Block B of Earl Gardens in Kowloon Tong where she worked for six to eight other family members, but was apparently terminated after more than two months.

From May 19 to 22 she stayed in an accommodation arranged by an employment agency in Block B of Bell House in Yau Ma Tei, along with four other helpers.

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On May 4 she got tested for Covid-19 during the first round of compulsory testing for FDHs and was found negative. On May 21 she had another test in preparation for her return to Indonesia, and was found preliminary positive.

Officials said she twice visited the Immigration Tower in Wanchai this month.

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Her 11 close contacts in the two addresses where she stayed have been sent to quarantine as a result.

Everyone who had been to both Bowring Building and Earl Garden Block B were also ordered to undergo mandatory testing.

The second case involves a US returnee who developed symptoms while in quarantine

Meanwhile, the returnee from the United States who tested positive yesterday arrived in Hong Kong on May 18 on Cathay Pacific flight CX881.

The CHP said the man was symptomatic. He checked in at Regal Airport Hotel for his 21-day quarantine but tested positive on the third day.

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Two preliminary positive cases were also reported today, including a Filipina domestic helper who was found with the N501Y variant, resulting in the overnight lockdown of Tower 6 of Island Harbourview in Tai Kok Tsui where she lived with her employer.

The second preliminary-positive case involves a nurse at the Kwun Chung Sports Centre vaccination centre in Jordan who last worked on Saturday.

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The latest confirmed cases brought Hong Kong’s total infection tally to 11,833.

The Hospital Authority said a total of 37 confirmed patients are being treated in 14 public hospitals and the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre.

Of this number, two patients are in critical condition, one is serious and the remaining 34 patients are stable.

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Filipina DH tests preliminary positive for coronavirus variant

By Daisy CL Mandap

Tower 6 of Island Harbour View has been locked down overnight 

A 46-year-old Filipina domestic helper has tested preliminary positive for the N501Y mutant strain of the coronavirus, causing authorities to order an overnight lockdown on the Tai Kok Tsui building where she has moved into, to work for a prospective employer.

A statement issued by the Centre for Health Protection tonight, May 23, said the Filipina DH was found infected when she took a Covid-19 test in compliance with the second round of compulsory testing for all FDHs ordered by the government from May 15 to 30.

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According to the statement, the FDH had traveled to Pakistan with her former employer’s family in early February this year and returned to Hong Kong on Apr 3. She then spent her 21-day quarantine at Ramada Hong Kong Harbour View Hotel in Sai Ying Pun until Apr 23.

On her release from quarantine she stayed in the flat of her former employer at 31 Tai Wong Ha Resite Village between Apr 24 and 29, before moving in with her prospective employer in Tower 6 of Island Harbourview in Tai Kok Tsui.

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She had herself tested for Covid-19 at community testing centres on Apr 28 and May 7, and both results were negative.

Yesterday, May 22, she got tested again at Henry G. Leong Yau Ma Tei Community Centre and the result was preliminary positive. She is asymptomatic.

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In addition the preliminary test result processed by the Department of Health’s laboratory revealed that the patient has the N501Y mutant strain but not the E484K variant first found in South Africa, or the recently listed L452R mutation.

The CHP statement said medical investigations and contact tracing relating to the case are continuing. In the meantime, all those identified as her close contacts will be transferred to a quarantine center.

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Another preliminary-positive case was reported today, involving a nurse at the Kwun Chung Sports Centre vaccination centre in Jordan. She last worked on Saturday.

In line with health protocols adopted for an N501Y case with an unknown source, an overnight lockdown was imposed on Tower 6 of Island Harbourview, and all residents of the building will be tested.

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Anyone found infected will be taken to hospital for treatment, while household contacts and everyone living in the same flat or subdivided unit will be subject to 21-day quarantine.

Those who test negative in the initial round will be tested again on Days 3, 7, 12 and 19,

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But in case further infections are detected in the same building, all residents of the block would be classified as close contacts and placed under quarantine for 21 days, “as there would be evidence of transmission."
            
     

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1 Indonesian DH tests positive, another is preliminary case

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Chuang says the confirmed Indonesian DH was infected before she ended her quarantine

An Indonesian woman who had just moved in with her employer after completing her 21-day hotel quarantine has been detected to have Covid-19 in the second round of compulsory testing for foreign domestic helpers.

According to Dr Chuang Shuk-Kwan of the Centre for Health Protection, the Indonesian helper’s case is classified as “local so far” but it may be treated as imported later, depending on whether anyone in her employer’s household or any close contacts will also test positive.

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If her case is classified as imported, today would be the seventh straight day that no new local case has been reported.

However, another Indonesian domestic worker has tested preliminary positive, and Dr Chuang said that if confirmed, this case would definitely be a local case as the 39-year-old woman had been in Hong Kong for awhile. 

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The confirmed helper, who is 29 years old, arrived in Hong Kong on Apr 25 via flight GAA 766 direct from Indonesia.

She stayed in a hotel in Sai Ying Pun and after her quarantine ended on May 16, went straight to a medical clinic in Mong Kok for a check-up, then on to her employment agency in Sai Kung. All the Covid-19 tests she took until then all came out negative.

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The helper then went on to join her employer in Tower 5A in Cullinan West, Sham Shui Po. She mostly stayed at home, except when she had to take a dog out for a walk. 

On May 20 she took another coronavirus test at the Pak Tin testing center in compliance with the compulsory testing order for all FDHs, and was found preliminary positive. A confirmatory test processed at the CHP laboratory also came out positive.

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Chuang said the patient had a “very high CT value” of 38 in the initial test, and over 30 in the confirmatory test, suggesting an old infection.

Another test on her immunoglobulin or antibody levels reportedly showed she had been infected for at least 10 days previously.

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Thus, Chuang said it was not likely the helper acquired her infection after her quarantine. She could have been infected in Indonesia, on the plane, the airport, or her quarantine hotel. 

She said checks on the flight the patient had taken showed three other passengers who also tested positive after arriving in Hong Kong.

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“On the same plane, we found three other infected passengers but they were not seated next to each other,” said Chuang. 

Staff at the hotel where she had stayed for quarantine all tested negative on May 18.

Chuang said the only way the helper could have acquired the infection from within Hong Kong is if any of her 18 close contacts - including her employer’s family members, two other household staff, agency staff and two fellow FDHs – is found to also carry the virus.

Both infections were discovered during the 2nd round of compulsory testing for FDHs

She disclosed there were three to four preliminary cases found today, including the helper who arrived on Feb 20 on board flight GA 766 from Indonesia via Singapore.

After leaving her quarantine hotel the helper moved in with her new employer at Block B of Earl Garden in Kowloon Tong.

After about two months, she was apparently terminated, so she moved into an employment agency's shelter in Block B of Bell's House in Yau Ma Tei, where she stayed from May 19 to 22. 

On May 4 she got herself tested for Covid-19 during the first round of compulsory testing for all FDHs, and had a negative result.

Yesterday, in preparation for her return to Indonesia she had another test at the Pak Tin testing center in Sham Shui Po, and was found preliminary positive.

Chuang said the helper went to the Immigration Department offices on May 7 and 10.

“We are still ascertaining if there were other activities involved,” she said. “If confirmed, this will be a local infection.”

She also said the case would be classified as unlinked, the first since a week ago, when a four-year-old boy whose source of infection is still being investigated, was reported.

Chuang said achieving zero local infection is difficult because there had been quite a number of asymptomatic people in the past who could have spread the virus. 

She also said the virus is here to stay. 

“Now with the vaccine, vaccination is the only way,” she said. “Vaccine is available now, I don’t know what people are waiting for.”

Chuang also said Hong Kong has suspended quarantine-free entry for travelers from Guangdong due to a recently confirmed case in its Liwan district.

She said residents coming back to Hong Kong from Guangdong starting tomorrow will have to undergo the 14-day hotel quarantine required of all vaccinated travelers coming from a place designated as "medium risk."

Those who haven't been fully vaccinated will have to quarantine for 21 days.

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Govt advises ex-Covid-19 patients to get a jab, but recovered Pinay not keen

By Daisy CL Mandap

An isolation ward for Covid-19 patients at Eastern Hospital

Health officials have announced that people who have been infected with Covid-19 could get a vaccine without an appointment following the recommended interval after recovery.

According to a government advisory issued Friday, the recovered patients will soon be sent SMS messages informing them how they could avail of the vaccine at any time to get further protection.

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Recovered patients are encouraged to take the vaccine dose which will entitle them to a certificate showing they are fully vaccinated. Others who did not get infected previously must have two jabs to get the same certificate.

Two Filipina domestic helpers who are recovered Covid-19 patients gave varied takes on the government advice.

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Liza, who caught the virus while staying in a boarding house in March after finishing her contract with her first employer, was hesitant at first. However, her new employer advised her to go for it.

When she did, however, she was disappointed when the nurse who administered the vaccine told her that she need not go for a second dose.

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Her spirits only lifted when told that she could already get a certificate showing she’s already fully vaccinated and protected from Covid-19, which had given her so much problems previously.

Another Covid survivor, Lyn, is not convinced that she should have the jab, perhaps because she is still traumatized by having tested positive on her arrival in Hong Kong, and being told shortly afterwards that her employer would terminate their contract as soon as she recovered.

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“Nahihilo kasi ako lagi pag tulong sa tulog,” she said. (I often get dizzy when I don’t get enough sleep).

But on being told that she could get medical advice first if she’s unsure, Lyn, who has since found a new employer, said: “Pag-iisipan ko na lang po”. (I’ll think about it first).

Recovered patients need to wait 90-180 days after discharge to get the jab

More than 100 Filipinos in Hong Kong have been found positive for Covid-19. Most of them had just arrived from the Philippines and were asymptomatic, but a big number were musicians and food servers who got infected when the virus swept through bars in early 2020. 

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According to the government announcement issued Friday, all recovered patients can receive a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine at any Community Vaccination Centre (CVC) or private clinic enrolled in the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme.

The Hospital Authority will also provide them with a customised factsheet on how and when they can get the vaccine.

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According to the Expert Committee that advises the government on its vaccination program, recovered patients can get the first dose from BioNTech 90 days after discharge from hospital. If they wish to get Sinovac they must wait 180 days after recovery and discharge.

After receiving the factsheet they can go directly to a vaccination centre after the recommended interval. No prior online booking is required.

According to the statement, recovered persons who get one dose of the vaccine and waited for 14 days after can take advantage of the relaxed social distancing measures under the “vaccine bubble” extended to all fully inoculated residents.

Meanwhile, recovered persons who were given a booking for a second dose need not go as the government will cancel this appointment for them. They can then go to their vaccine provider to ask for the updated paper record of vaccination. 

The list of CVCs and designated private clinics are available here: www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/pdf/List_of_CVC_Venues.pdf and 

www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/VSS respectively.

 

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A preliminary case could end HK’s 5-day streak of no local infection

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The person who tested preliminary positive lives in Cullinan West

Hong Kong health authorities issued a compulsory testing notice on two residential blocks in Sham Shui Po tonight, May 21, saying a resident there was found preliminary positive for Covid-19.

The infection at Towers 5A and 5B, Cullinan West, could end five days of no infection being detected within Hong Kong.

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A sole imported case was reported for the third straight day today, involving a 29-year-old Indonesian domestic helper who tested positive on her 12^th day in quarantine at Metropark Hotel in Kowloon.

Staff at the Centre for Health Protection said the worker arrived on May 7 on board Cathay Pacific flight CX 708.

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Hopes that Hong Kong would notch a 27-day streak of no unlinked local cases being detected was dashed yesterday, when a 5-year-old boy was finally declared as a true positive case.

Experts had initially thought that an error had been made in declaring him infected after repeated tests taken on him at the hospital where he was taken all yielded negative results. He also did not have antibodies.

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But microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung finally put the doubts to rest Thursday when he said tests done by the University of Hong Kong confirmed the boy’s infection.

Yuen said the boy could have caught the virus way back in January from his neighbors in Pak Tin Estate in Shek Kip Mei, but did not show symptoms. He said about 20 percent of patients who didn’t display symptoms also would not develop antibodies.

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Meanwhile, also included in the compulsory testing notice today was Hong Kong Cosco Inn on Praya Road, Kennedy Town where an 18-year-old woman who traveled to Shenzhen on May 5 and was confirmed positive there on Wednesday, had stayed.

Initially, she was reported to have lived in Block 1 of The Belcher’s on Pokfulam Road, so that was the only place linked to her that was initially put under compulsory testing notice.

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Her case has been classified as imported, however.

Everyone who stayed at least two hours at Cosco Inn from Apr 29 to May 21 must undergo a Covid-19 test.

The same order is issued for all those who had been present for the same length of time at Towers 5A&5B of Cullinan West from May 8 to 21.

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All fully vaccinated residents, or those who had two doses of the vaccine at least 14 days before the indicated period are exempted from compulsory testing. 

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Filipina DH held in connection with $320K scam

By Vir B. Lumicao

The helper has said she was taken to this HSBC branch to open an ATM-linked account

Police say they have arrested a Filipina domestic helper for her suspected involvement in a deception case in which a 47-year-old woman lost close to $320,000 in March.

The suspect, aged 45, was detained on Thursday in Kwun Tong for “obtaining property by deception”, but was released after one day of questioning on the same $500 bail imposed on her during an earlier investigation. 

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According to the spokesperson, police received a report from the alleged victim on Mar 10 that she had been conned of $317,737. No other details were given by the police. However, a police source said the case was “sort of a romance scam”.

This indicates that the alleged victim was wooed by an unknown person who then used the helper’s ATM bank account as repository for the illegally obtained money.

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The detained helper had initially sought help from the police and the Consulate in early February, claiming to have lost her ATM card in a part-time job scam.

She claimed then that she was hooked into the ploy by someone who posted an offer for parttime jobs on Facebook. 

When she responded, another Filipina helper who met up with her took her to an HSBC branch in Tuen Mun to open  an ATM linked account for her, then took the card away.

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Her ATM card was then used to funnel money earned from illegal means, which now appears, included the $320,000 taken from the unnamed victim in the most recent case.

The accused helper was arrested on April 22 and dismissed by her employer the next day. After being allowed to post police bail, she said she was being investigated in connection with a deception case.

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An investigation into the alleged scam began late last year, when about 10 Filipinas were arrested by police looking into the use of their bank accounts in laundering money earned through illicit means, including the so-called love scam.

Some of those arrested told police their ATM cards were taken from them by another Filipina domestic worker they named as Gemmalyn Reyes.

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The rise in deception cases involving Filipina helpers prompted the HK Police Anti-Deception Coordinating Centre and the Consulate to jointly hold a webinar to warn the community about various scams that have deprived victims of millions of dollars.

One of the most common is the “romance scam” in which a foreign man meets a local woman on a dating site, courts her and, after gaining her friendship, sends her a purportedly expensive parcel. People posing as freight company staff then call up the woman and tell her she has a package waiting to be delivered but she has to pay a huge sum for customs duties and transport fee.

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They then advise the victim to deposit the money in a bank account that turns out to be owned by a foreign domestic helper who herself was duped by the same conmen into lending or surrendering to them her ATM card for their criminal deeds.

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